Fabric faced button



July .25, 1961 w. H. DECKER FABRIC FACED BUTTON Filed Aug. 12, 1959l/VVENTOR cUzllmm H Decker- 2,993,250 FABRIC FA'OED BUTTON William H.Decker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Maxant Button & Supply Company, acorporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 833,244 4 Claims.(Cl. 24-113) This invention relates to metal-framed, fabric-facedgarment buttons.

With certain types of feminine garment, the desire is for buttons facedwith the material from which the garment is made, or from a fabric ofselected contrast to the garment material. The types of fabric-facedbuttons, obviously, vary, and often are influenced by general conditionsin the nation. For example, during a war, buttons, even for femininegarments, take on a military character.

Where feminine garments are custom made by dressmakers or as in-the-homeprojects, the making of fabricfaced buttons presents quite a problem.Various attempts have been made to provide such dress-makers with thefacilities for making on-the-job fabric-faced buttons. However, suchfacilities as heretofore provided have not been of a sufliciently facileuse as to make them widely acceptable.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form ofpro-shaped, interfitting, metal parts for the facile forming offabric-faced garment buttons; to provide an improved form of twopre-shaped interfitting metal parts for making either flat or convexfabric-faced garment buttons; to provide an improved form of preshaped,interfitting metal-frame parts so relatively shaped and dimensioned thatwith the interposed fabric the two parts are easily assembled and assumean interlocked nested relationship that precludes subsequent separationof the two frame-parts resulting from the normal use of the button; toprovide an improved form of two such frame-parts which permit the fabricto be placed around either a flat or a convex or dome-shaped elementinsertable between the two frame-parts; and to provide an improved formof two pre-shaped frame-parts of this kind of such simple constructionas to make them very inexpensive to manufacture, their on-the-jobassembly extremely facile, and the finished button highly ornamental anddurable.

In the adaptation shown in the accompanying drawmgs: 7

FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and back perspectives respectively of a convextype of fabric-faced button constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar views of a flat type of fabricfaced garmentbutton;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the pre-assembled parts of the buttonshown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a similar view of the pre-assernbled parts of the button shownin FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 7 is a much-enlarged, exploded, cross-sectional view of the twoprimary frame-parts used in the formation of either type of button shownin the other figures;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the type of a finished button shownin FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the type of button shown in FIGS 3and 4.

The essential concept of this invention involves two primary parts, aring and a disk, in the form of a metal stamping with opposedperimetrical flanges of very slightly overlapping diameters which partsupon being pressed into nested relationship with an interposedfabric-covered element, are locked together against separation by anyordinary use to which garment buttons are subject.

An assembled, fabric-faced garment button, embodying the foregoingconcept, comprises a ring 11, a disk 12, a

Patented July 25, 1961 piece of fabric 13 and a holding element 14. Allof these parts, except the fabric, of course, generally would be eithermetal stampings or molded parts. However, the flat form of the element14 might be either metal or molded.

The ring 11 is substantially L-shaped in cross-section having a flataxial or stem part 16 and a more or less flat radial or transverse part17. These parts 16 and 17 are formed with integral perimetrical flanges18 and 19, respectively. The flange 18 extends inwardly and axiallyupwardly at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane of thestem part 16. The flange 19, likewise, extends inwardly and axiallyupward in the same general direction and angle as the flange 18. Therethus is formed a circular opening 21 through which the fabric 13 isexposed in the assembled button, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 8 and 9.

The disk 12 has a circular depressed portion 22 offset from the centralflat portion 23 and terminating in a perimetrical flange 2.4. Thisflange 24 extends outwardly and axially upward above the plane of theflat portion 23 of the disk 12 at an angle approximately of 45 degrees.A U-shaped wire fastener 26 here is shown secured centrally to the disk12 in a conventional manner, as for example by having the bent ends ofthe wire extending through small apertures in the disk 12. For somegarments a tuft of cloth might be substituted for the wire fastener.

An important feature of the ring 11 and disk 12 is the relativeperimetrical diameters of the flange 18 on the ring 11 and the flange 24on the disk 12. As FIG. 7 so clearly shows, the perimetrical diameter ofthe flange 24 is slightly greater than that of the flange 18. As anexample, there is here shown approximately about .005 of an inch overlapin the relative perimeters. It is these relative diametrical dimensionsthat insure the nested interlocking of the disk 12 and ring 11 when thedisk 12 is pressed into the ring 11 with the interposed fabric 13embracing the element 14.

The element 14 may be either convex or dome-shaped, as shown in FIGS. 1,5 and 8, or flat, as shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 9. In either case, theperimetrical diameter of the element 14 is less than the inside diameterof the stem part 16 of the ring 11. If desired, the element 14 might beenough less in diameter to permit a piece of fabric 13 to fit around theperimeter of the element 14 and be easily seated in the ring 11 to reston the flange 19.

Where the element 14 is convex or dome-shaped, the diameter of the domeis less than that of the opening 21 in the ring 11, thus forming aflange 217 on the element 14 which seats on the flange 19 of the ring11..

A fabric-faced button, framed by a ring 11 and disk 12 of this kind, ismade in the following manner:

A circular piece of fabric 13 is cut somewhat larger in diameter thanthe diameter of the ring 11. This fabric may be folded around theelement 14, of either of the forms shown, and set in the ring 11, withthe exposed, overlapping edges of the fabric 13 tucked in under andbelow the ring flange 18. Or the piece of fabric may be placed on theflange 18 and the element 14 superimposed on the fabric and then presseddown into the ring. This will tend to tuck the edge of the fabricbetween the element 14 and the part 17 of the ring 11. Thereupon ineither case the disk 12 then is set on the ring 11, with the perimeterof the flange 24 extending slightly outwardly of the perimeter of theflange 18 with the depressed portion 22 of the disk 12 disposed inwardlybelow the perimeter of the flange 18. Upon applying a small amount ofpressure axially of the disk 12 the flange 24 will yield and allow it topass below the flange 18. 'Ihereupon, the ring 11 and the disk 12 arelocked in nested relationship with the fabric-covered element 14interposed between the ring and the disk and the fabric 13 exposedthrough the opening 21 of the ring 11 framed by the flange 19 on thetransverse part of the ring 11.

No ordinary use to which the button may be subjected, in wear or incleansing, can effect a separation of the ring and disk.

Variations and modifications in the details of structure and arrangementof the parts may be resorted to Within the spirit of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A stamped-metal ring and disk for forming a fabricfaced button, thering being of substantial axial dimension with axially-spacedinwardly-disposed continuousperimeter flanges one of which flanges isdirectly normal to the ring and of greater Width than the other flange,which is inclined axially away from the one flange, the disk having aflange outwardly inclined from one face of the disk and from its axisand having a continuous perimeter with a diameter just enough greaterthan the peripheral diameter of the ring other flange whereby upon thedisk flange being seated on the ring other flange with the one face ofthe disk disposed outwardly of the ring the disk is pressureable intothe ring to nest the disk flange in transverse contact against the underface of the ring other flange so that the ring and the disk are securedin permanently-locked relationship to retain between the ring and thedisk a piece of fabric stretched over a supporting-element with aportion of the fabric exposed outwardly within the ring one flange.

2. A stamped-metal ring and disk for forming a fabricfaced button, thering being of substantial axial dimension with axially-spacedinwardly-disposed continuousperimeter flanges one of which flanges isdirectly normal to the ring and of greater width than the other flange,the exposed perimetrical portion of the one flange being turned to forma narrow rim inclined axially-inward toward the other flange which isinclined axially away from the one flange so that the rim and the otherflange are disposed substantially parallel, the disk having a flangeoutwardly inclined from the face of the disk and from its axis andhaving a continuous perimeter with a diameter just enough greater thanthe peripheral diameter of the ring other flange whereby upon the diskflange being seated on the ring other flange with the one face of thedisk disposed outwardly of the ring the disk is pressureable into thering to nest the disk flange in transverse contact against the underface of the ring other flange so that the ring and the disk are securedin permanently-locked relationship to retain between the ring and thedisk a piece of fabric stretched over a supporting-element with aportion of the fabric exposed outwardly within the ring one flange.

3. A stamped-metal ring, disk and fabric supportingelement for forming afabric-faced button, the ring being of substantial axial dimension withaxially-spaced inwardly-disposed continuous-perimeter flanges one ofwhich flanges is directly normal to the ring and of greater width thanthe other flange which is inclined axially away from the one flange, thedisk having a flange outwardly inclined from one face of the disk andfrom its axis and having a continuous perimeter with a diameter justenough greater than the peripheral diameter of the ring other flangewhereby upon the disk flange being seated on the ring other flange withthe one face of the disk dis posed outwardly of the ring the disk ispressureable into the ring to nest the disk flange in transverse contactagainst the under face of the ring other flange so that the ring and thedisk are secured in permanently-locked relationship to retain betweenthe ring and the disk a piece of fabric stretched over thesupporting-element with a portion of the fabric exposed outwardly withinthe ring one flange.

4. A stamped-metal ring, disk and fabric supportingelement for forming afabric-faced button, the ring being of substantial axial dimension withaxially-spaced inwardlydisposed continuous-perimeter flanges one ofwhich flanges is directly normal to the ring and of greater width thanthe other flange which is inclined axially away from the one flange, thefabric supporting-element being dome-shaped with an external diameter atits base less than the rim of the ring one flange and having aradially-disposed flange of a diameter less than the internal diameterof the ring other flange, the disk having a flange outwardly inclinedfrom one face of the disk and from its axis and having a continuousperimeter with a diameter just enough greater than the peripheraldiameter of the ring other flange whereby upon the disk flange beingseated on the ring other flange with the one face of the disk disposedoutwardly of the ring the disk is pressureable into the ring to nest thedisk flange in transverse contact against the under face of the ringother flange so that the ring and the disk are secured inpermanently-locked relationship to retain between the ring and the diska piece of fabric stretched over the supporting-element with a portionof the fabric exposed outwardly within the ring one flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany July 16, 1953

